ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Election Commission
Bye Election to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council by the members of Legislative Assembly 
There is one casual vacancy in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council by the members of Legislative Assembly. The details of the vacancy are as follow:
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Name of Member
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Nature of election
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Cause of vacancy
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Term up to
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Sri Mopidevi Venkata Ramana Rao
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By MLAs
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Resignation
on 01.07.2020
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29.03.2023
2. The Commission, has decided to hold a bye-election to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council by the members of the Legislative Assembly to fill the above mentioned vacancy as per the following schedule: -
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S.No.
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Events
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Dates
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-
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Issue of Notifications
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06th August, 2020 
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-
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Last Date of making nominations
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13th August, 2020 
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-
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Scrutiny of nominations
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14th August, 2020 
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-
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Last date for withdrawal of candidatures
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17th August, 2020 
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-
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Date of Poll
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24th August, 2020 
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-
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Hours of Poll
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09:00 am to 04:00 pm
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-
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Counting of Votes
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24th August, 2020  at 05:00 pm
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-
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Date before which election shall be completed
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26th August, 2020 
3. Commission has also directed the Chief Secretary of the State to depute a senior officer from the State to ensure that the extant instructions regarding COVID-19 containment measures are complied with while making arrangements for conducting the elections.
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SBS/MR/AC
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Prime Minister's Office
PM recalls the principles of Lord Buddha on Buddha Purnima
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has recalled the principles of Lord Buddha and reiterated his commitment to fulfil them on the occasion of Buddha Purnima.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"On Buddha Purnima we recall the principles of Lord Buddha and reiterate our commitment to fulfil them. The thoughts of Lord Buddha can make our planet more peaceful, harmonious and sustainable."
Ministry of Defence
Construction of All Weather Roads in Border Areas
The Border-wise length of new roads constructed in the last five years to facilitate all-weather access to the borders of the country and financial expenditure incurred thereon for these projects by BRO are tabulated below:
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S No
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Name of the Border
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Road constructed in last 5 years on Borders 
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Expenditure in last 5 Years 
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India-China
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2088.57
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15477.06
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India-Pakistan
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1336.09
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4242.38
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India-Myanmar
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151.15
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882.52
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India-Bangladesh
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19.25
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165.45
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Total
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3595.06
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20767.41
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This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Ms Saroj Pandey in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Power
NTPC accelerates Learning & Development Opportunities for 19000 Employees and their family members during the Lockdown period
The Maharatna collaborates with World Bank, ‘Art of Living’ and other external entities via L&D sessions
Certifications offered on successful completion of training
NTPC, India’s largest power producer and the Central PSU under Ministry of Power, has offered learning opportunities to its 19,000-plus employees and their family members. To meet the requirements of the lockdown imposed due to COVID 19 pandemic, NTPC Learning and Development  strategy has been customised for enriching employees through intensive digitisation and online training, enabling them to avail these services from anywhere.
Moreover, company has collaborated with the World Bank to offer its staff an opportunity to be part of a rigorous online technical course, attending virtual classes, giving assessments and, eventually, obtaining certifications.
Power Management Institute – NTPC’s apex L&D centre – has conducted 250-plus training sessions in diverse disciplines ranging from technical, functional, health and safety. Besides, NTPC’s Regional Learning and Development Centres located in power plant projects have created almost 100-plus online learning opportunities.
The Maharatnais determined to keep nurturing its staff via continuous learning sessions while simultaneously revamping and customising methodologies for specialised scenarios. The company realises the need for upskilling even during crises. Therefore, another unique collaboration – the ‘45-Day Learning Challenge’ – offers its staff thorough learning for 45 days in varied disciplines such as Technical, Finance and HR, earning them certifications once completed from home.
There are other collaborations too with external agencies providing state-of-the-art sessions. A holistic wellness programme is being continuously run in association with the ‘Art of Living’. Employees and family members of all ages can participate, helping them stay strong and focused during these turbulent times. Similarly, a special six-month initiative, ‘Snehal 2.0’, based on counselling services via EAP  has been extended to employees’ family members. Available round-the-clock, the EAP service is confidential and offered to select users only.
Likewise, classes are being held on power plant essentials such as Turbine, Boiler, Water Chemistry, Renewable Energy and other significant O&M  areas through in-house as well as guest faculties. The new learning methodologies include connecting via online forums, webinars, an internally-developed mobile application ‘Samvaad’ as well as leveraging the Internet and its internal learning portal.
RCJ/M
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Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister’s address at the event on ‘Action and Solidarity-The Critical Decade’ at COP26 Summit in Glasgow
Excellencies,
My Friend Boris, Thank You for giving me the opportunity to present my views on the important issue of adaptation!
Adaptation does not get as much importance in the Global climate debate as Mitigation. This is an injustice to developing countries, which are more affected by climate change.
Climate is a major challenge for farmers in most developing countries, including India - the cropping pattern is changing, crops are being destroyed by untimely rains and floods, or frequent storms. From drinking water sources to affordable housing, all of these need to be made resilient against climate change.
Excellencies,
I have three views in this context. First, we have to make adaptation a key part of our development policies and projects. Projects like ‘Nal se Jal’- Tap water for all, ‘Swachh Bharat’- clean India Mission and ‘Ujjwala’- clean cooking fuel for all in India, have not only provided adaptation benefits to our needy citizens but have also improved their quality of life. Secondly, many traditional communities have adequate knowledge of living in harmony with nature.
These traditional practices must be given due importance in our adaptation policies. This flow of knowledge must also be included in the school syllabus so that it is passed on to the new generation. Preservation of lifestyles in compliance with the local conditions can also be an important pillar of adaptation. Third, the methods of adaptation may be local, but backward countries should get global support for them.
With the idea of global support for local adaptation, India had taken the initiative of Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure CDRI. I request all countries to join this initiative.
Thank you.
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of Prime Minister’s remarks. Original remarks were delivered in Hindi.
Vice President's Secretariat
Our handicrafts are our living heritage; all efforts should be made to promote them – Vice President
Our master craftsmen represent India’s cultural diversity; they are ambassadors of our culture and creativity – Vice President
Shri Dhankhar appeals to all consumers of handicraft to be vocal for local
Vice President confers Shilp Guru and National Awards at Vigyan Bhawan today
The Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today said that our handicrafts are our living heritage and appealed to all consumers of handicraft to appreciate local and be vocal about it. Stressing the need to promote organised marketing and branding of Indian handicraft products, he said that interior designers must focus on this rich mine.
Addressing a gathering after presenting Shilp Guru and National Awards  at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi today, the Vice President said that the unique talent of our master craftsmen is representative of Bharat. “With your subtle workmanship, you embellish and enrich India’s cultural diversity. You represent India's rich tradition of skills and craftsmanship,” he told the Shilp Gurus present.
Shri Dhankhar described Indian craftsmen as the impactful ambassadors of our culture and creativity and said that by honouring them, the nation is honouring those generations of unknown skilled craftsmen, who have left behind such a rich legacy.
Observing that it takes generations of training to master these skills, the Vice President said that on account of their creativity, skills and the hard work, India's handicraft is the most sought after in the world. “You represent India's creative tradition, you carry India's Intangible heritage of craftsmanship,” he added.
Highlighting the importance of the handicraft sector in the Indian economy, Shri Dhankhar said it employs more than seven million people, a vast segment of which is the craftspeople in rural & semi-urban areas. He expressed happiness that the handicraft industry in India is dominated by female artisans who form over 56% of the total artisans.
The Vice President praised the initiatives by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts and the Union Textile Ministry in ensuring welfare and wellbeing of the Indian artisans.
Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Distribution and Textiles, Smt. Rachna Shah, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Shri Shantmanu, Development Commissioner , Ministry of Textiles, awardees from across India and other dignitaries were present.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Progress of area coverage under Summer crops
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Sl.
No.
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Crops
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Area Sown
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Current Year 2023
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Last Year 2022
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1
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Rice
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27.89
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29.80
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2
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Pulses
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19.61
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18.44
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a
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Greengram
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16.14
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14.97
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b
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Blackgram
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3.24
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3.20
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c
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Other Pulses
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0.23
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0.28
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3
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Shri Anna -cum -Coarse Cereals
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11.73
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11.30
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a
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Jowar
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0.25
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0.18
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b
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Bajra
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4.69
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3.98
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c
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Ragi
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0.14
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0.20
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d
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Maize
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6.65
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6.94
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4
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Oilseeds
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9.96
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10.85
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a
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Groundnut
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4.78
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5.35
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b
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Sunflower
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0.31
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0.31
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c
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Sesamum
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4.58
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4.47
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d
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Other Oilseeds
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0.29
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0.73
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Total
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69.20
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70.39
Ministry of Defence
The CAS Visits AF Stn Sarsawa to Pay Homage to the Air Warriors who Made Supreme Sacrifice During Operation Safed Sagar
Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, PVSM AVSM YSM VM ADC Chief of the Air Staff visited Air Force Station Sarsawa today to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of Air Warriors who laid down their life during Op Safed sagar. Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar PVSM AVSM VM & Bar ADC, AOC-in-C, Western Air Command and Lt Gen YK Joshi AVSM VrC SM GOC 14 Corps also visited AF Station Sarsawa on the same day to commemorate the solemn occasion.
The Chief of the Air Staff and AOC-in-C, WAC IAF took part in the “Missing Man Formation” fly past in Mi-17 V5 helicopter of 152 HU. On this day, 20 year back Sqn Ldr R Pundir, Flt Lt Muhilan, Sergeant RK Sahu and Sergeant PVNR Prasad laid down their lives in service of the nation while flying a mission during Ops Safed Sagar. The timing of the flypast was synchronized with the Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Station War Memorial. Mrs Sharmila Pundir, wife of Sqn Ldr R Pundir, also joined the solemn occasion and laid a wreath at station war memorial while an ALH Mk-III helicopter showered flower petals.
During Op Safed Sagar, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa commanded 17 Sqn of the IAF. Air Marshal R Nambiar took part in the Ops flying Mirage 2000 aircraft and Lt Gen YK Joshi, as CO 13 JAKRIF, led operations on Tololing for the capture of Point 5140.
Vice President's Secretariat
Vice-President to visit Bihar on September 29
Vice-President to interact with students and faculty members of Nalanda University
The Vice-President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar will be on his maiden visit to Bihar on 29th September, 2023.
The Vice-President, along with Dr. Sudesh Dhankhar, will visit Nalanda University, where he will interact with the students and faculty members.
During his day-long tour, the Vice-President is also scheduled to visit Gaya.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
“Cinema is not a consumer product, it’s a creative art: Film Maker Ananth Mahadevan
Tribals’ way of life touched my heart and inspired this film; Manoj Kana, Director of movie Kenjira
Filmmaker AnanthMahadevansaid , “Cinema is not a consumer product but a creative art” and lamented that big budget films are favouredat the cost of small budget films as they are expected to earn big returns due to popular actors.The audience for small budget filmsis there, but it’s the distributors and exhibitors who are not willing. We take the festival route but when we want to sell the films we have to prove that these films are commercial.”
He was speaking along with actresses Suhasini Mulay and Usha Jadhav together with cinematographer Alphonse Roy during a press conference on his movie “Mai Ghat” in IFFI today at Panaji Goa.
The movie is about protracted struggle of a mother to get justice for her son who was wrongly branded a thief and tortured to death in police custody.
Talking about the film, Suhasini Mulay said, “We are used to very quick pace, but this film that is beautifully paced, makes you aware of the fact thatthe protagonist woman has been fighting for 13 years.Ananth has used silence so beautifully.”
Speaking further about the film Anant said. “The film speaks global cinematic language and it’san honour to be selected for international Competition. Itunderlined the belief in our film that our Producer Mohini Gupta had since the beginning. She showed a lot of faith and I could not let her down.”
Speaking about his film Kenjira director Manoj Kana said. “I am into theatre in Malayalam. I have worked with tribals a lot and their way of life touched my heart. All my artists in Kenjira are tribals, this is my third movie after Chayilyam and Amoeba”. Kana narrated the hurdles faced by him in collecting finance for this film. He went on to speak aboutan incident in which a school which was closed down was ultimately re-started by first attracting students to theatre being run in the school premises.
Election Commission
SVEEP Nodal Officers from across the country meet to deliberate upon the blueprint for the next five years
(A two-day National Conference of SVEEP Nodal Officers was organized by the Election Commission of India on June 10-11, 2019 at TERI Retreat in Gurugram to review the strategy and implementation of outreach programmes during Lok Sabha Election 2019 and to chalk out the blueprint for the next 5 years.
In the Closing Session on 11th June, while congratulating the SVEEP Nodal Officers from the 36 states/UTs for historic voter turnout, lowest ever gender gap in participation and systematic efforts for making elections accessible, Election Commissioner Shri Ashok Lavasa also exhorted the officers to introspect in true spirit on what else could have been done. He implored all to minutely identify the areas of concern and personally visit low turnout areas for better understanding of reason of low participation there. Flagging thegap in registration among the newly eligible 18-19 years old and the participation gap among the 32% of registered populace, Shri Lavasa said that Election Commission shall need to go beyond incremental progress and think of leap frogging for which substantive changes are perhaps needed in many aspect of election management. Shri Lavasa asked the Officers to reach out to people outside the election machinery to get new ideas that can be incorporated.
Earlier, Sr. Deputy Election Commissioner Shri Umesh Sinha appreciated the innovations taken up at the grassroot level by election officials. He said that officials should strive to achieve the efficiency where shorter time is taken to register an elector and for a registered elector to cast his or her vote making the entire process smoother and more convenient for the citizen. Shri Sinha also saidthat along withthe quantity, one needs to focus upon improving the quality of electoral participation.
SVEEP Nodal Officers from across the country gathered to share state experiences, challenges faced, good practices as well as case studies on Day 1. On the second day of the conference, theofficers deliberated upon6 topics viz.Critical Gaps, Accessible Elections, Youth & Gender, Electoral Literacy Clubs, Partnerships & Volunteering and use of Social Media, and chalked out strategy for the next Phase of SVEEP.A special session on Social Media was conducted in the morning on how to effectively engage with the voters on Twitter and Instagram.
All the points chalked out during the Conference shall be further worked upon to detail out the Phase IV of the SVEEP programme which shall cover the year 2020-2024.
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SBS
Ministry of Defence
MULTINATIONAL PEACEKEEPING EXERCISE "EX KHAAN QUEST – 2022” CONCLUDES AT MONGOLIA
The Multinational Peacekeeping Exercise “Ex Khaan Quest -2022” culminated today at the Peace Support Operations Training Centre in Ulaanbaatar at Mongolia.
The exercise conducted from 06 June to 20 June 2022 provided a platform for mutual learning and sharing best practices amongst the armies from 16 Nations. The Indian contingent consisting of personnel from the LADAKH SCOUTS participated in the field training as well as the Command Post exercise. A number of training activities were organised during the course of the exercise, which included mock tactical operations as per United Nations  mandate, combat discussions, training of staff & command appointments; as part of a combined UN brigade, in order to enhance multinational interoperability.
The bonhomie, espirit-de-corps and goodwill generated during the exercise will go a long way in future strengthening of bonds between the Armies of participating Nations.
Prime Minister's Office
PM replies to Japanese Embassy's message on Mann ki Baat
The Japanese embassy in India tweeted about 100th episode of Mann ki Baat. Wishing on the occasion, the embassy recalled a message by the Late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the preface to the book ‘Mann Ki Baat: A Social Revolution on Radio’.
The Embassy also remembered 89th episode of Mann ki Baat, where PM Modi lauded the India-Japan cultural ties while citing Japanese artists, who have been staging Mahabharat and Ramayana in Asian countries.
Replying to the tweet thread, the Prime Minister tweeted :
"Thank you for the kind words and for also remembering my friend, late Mr. Shinzo Abe."
Ministry of Coal
NLC India Limited, a Navratna Public Enterprise under the Ministry of Coal, commences Coal production for the first time
NLC India Limited, a Navratna Public Enterprise under the Ministry of Coal, has for the first time, commenced production of Coal. The coal produced from Talabira II and III Mines in the state of Odisha, which was allotted to NLCIL in 2016 with a capacity of 20 Million Tonne per annum will be used to meet its requirement of its existing and future coal fired power plants.
Commenting on the development, Shri Rakesh Kumar, Chairman Cum Managing Director, NLC India Limited said, “By achieving success on this project during the difficult time of COVID-19 lockdown situation, our team has not only helped the company on its growth path but also contributed for energy security of the country especially when avoiding import of coal is the top most priority.”
This coal block has been developed through MDO model which is innovatively developed and successfully implemented by NLC team and has earned appreciation across the industry. This Mine has a low stripping ratio of 1.09 and coal is of G 12 grade which will enable the company to generate competitive power in the time to come. The coal production was commenced on 26th April 2020.
In the recent past, the energy major, NLC India Limited has successfully commissioned its one of the two Units of lignite based power plant , the first of its kind in the country. During 2019-2020, NLCIL has also successfully achieved Renewable Energy Generation capacity of 1404 MW comprising 1353 MW of Solar and 51 MW of Wind Power.
The first heap of coal excavated from Talabira II & III Mines of NLCIL
Prime Minister's Office
Nagaland's rich organic produce is truly a delight: PM
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi said that nagaland's rich organic produce is a testament to the harmony between nature and culture.
Responding to the tweet of Rajya Sabha MP, Smt. S. Phangnon Konyak, the Prime Minister tweeted;
“Nagaland's rich organic produce is truly a delight. It is also testament to the harmony between nature and culture.”
Ministry of Mines
Stringent Penalties for Illegal Mining Activities
Section 23C of Mines and Minerals  Act  1957, empowers the State Governments to frame rules to prevent illegal mining and the State Governments may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make such rules for preventing illegal mining, transportation and storage of minerals and for the purposes connected therewith. Hence, control of illegal mining comes under the legislative and administrative purview of the State Governments.
However, the Central Government has taken the following measures to prevent illegal mining in the country:
Penalty for illegal mining was made more stringent by amendment of the MMDR Act in 2015. Penalties for contravention of Section 4 and 4 of the Act have been increased from Rs. 25 thousand per hectares to Rs. 5 Lakh per hectare and the term of imprisonment has been increased from 2 years to 5 years. Further, Section 30B of the Act provides for constitution of Special courts by State Governments for speedy trial of Illegal mining/Transportation/Storage cases and 30C of the Act provides that such Special Courts shall be deemed to be a Court of Session.
The Ministry of Mines, through the Indian Bureau of Mines, has developed the Mining Surveillance System  to use space technology for reporting any illegal mining activity to the State Government who will take necessary action. Mining Surveillance System  is a satellite-based monitoring system which aims to detect illegal mining activity beyond the lease area through use of satellite images.
In pursuance of the provisions of Section 23 of the Act, 22 State Governments including Odisha have framed rules to curb illegal mining.
State Governments have set up Task Forces to review the action taken by member departments for checking the illegal mining activities in their respective jurisdiction.
This information was given by the Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.